On that Night
by kurasuchi
Summary: Akane got fed up from all the plight surrounding her – then she ran away…for awhile, that is. That is, after Ranma ran to her, all wanting to give her something he couldn’t give. Oneshot. Edited***


**Disclaimer: **I do not own Ranma ½. All rights reserved to Rumiko Takahashi and Shogakukan.

**Summary: **Akane got fed up from all the plight surrounding her – then she ran away…for awhile, that is. That is, after Ranma ran to her, all wanting to give her something he couldn't give.

**Rating: **T

**Genre: **Romance/ Hurt/ Comfort/ WAFF

**Author's Notes:** I've started to rewrite almost all of my fanfics. Heck, these stories weren't fanfics originally anyway – they were a short story written for my projects and school paper, to boot! I just posted it because I, well, wanted to. :D Anyway, I'll go on and edit ALL of these just for it to fit into the Ranma-verse. Nevertheless, without further ado, here it is:

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* * *

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**On that Night**

_A Ranma ½ Fanfic_

_By Kurasuchi_

* * *

Cold wind gushed through the night sky, its salient features reminiscent in the scenery. The cool breeze damps upon her, with teardrops slowly cascading through her cheeks. With her short, bluish-black hair flowing against the wind, she slowly walked down the lane – not wanting to be seen.

On top of the hill – amidst the grasslands and the night skies – is where she lay; where she stood. Upon reaching the topmost part, a place she frequently visits, she sat down and gazed through the stars once more – only to be left reminiscing.

_I can see it clearly, _she thought, _I knew it wouldn't work. These things were starting to get too much on him,_ she knew it's probable. Whether or not it would succeed, chances are they won't probably be happy anyway - - after all, she wasn't worth the wait.

_But why should I worry about that? These things are getting on my nerves. I haven't got a single chance to be free, nor even be happy..._

* * *

_"Where have you gone off to now? You're such," _he mumbled. He was running straight against the alley, with nowhere to go. He was exhausted, his mind a sudden wreck, his heart shattered to pieces. He felt a vague pang when he remembered that incident - a confrontation between her and her family.

_"..A selfish dork...and a person," _he finished, _"who seeks refuge amidst the sudden turmoil." _He stuttered at his own choice of words. Why did I say that? She's an uncute tomboy, okay? Really uncute.

But, such denials would only delay the inevitable.

He remembered it clearly – her hoarse voice, his terrible insults, their fathers' medley, his suitors'... angst. Despite being engaged at a young age of sixteen, their parents seemed to be happy with the idea of them being married – even though in reality, both of them do not want to do so.

But earlier, it seemed that she was fed up with the entire plight surrounding her: she treated him badly, and loathed their fathers; she even renounced them, after all of those.

He still remembered everything… from the look that Kasumi had bestowed upon him, to his _ofukuro_'s worried gaze. Heck, even Nabiki gave him one hell of a look! It's just wasn't fair. He hasn't done anything to deserve this.

So, why did this all happen? He cannot help but to think about it…

"Don't try to stop me, Ranma. I'm cancelling the engagement."

He can still remember those words. Those words…those same words that she had said to him before she dashed away. He remembered how it had still felt. He remembered the harshness of those words. It still stung.

With her tear-streaked face looking out at him, he cannot help but melt with guilt. He reached out a hand to her. "Akane," he said, but she still wouldn't bulge.

"Akane…"

She really was stubborn. He apologized, didn't he? So why is she still doing this? It was just….weird.

She then ran away.

* * *

She sat still, with her mind wondering about earlier. She still cannot help but think about it.

About…the 'incident' that happened earlier.

"Keh! You want me to tell you everything, huh? Don't you ever learn? I do not want anything from that tomboy! First of all, she cannot cook. Second, she's just too clumsy and stupid! Not to mention she's so violent… and a macho chick to boot!"

His words still haunted her. It was like a disease. It always plagues her, even at her dreams. And it only made it ten times worse when she heard Ukyo laugh, and Shampoo saying her usual, "Aiya!"

"But Ranchan.. isn't that too harsh? I knew she wasn't your type, but she's still a girl," the okonomiyaki chef replied. Oh, at least Ukyo still respected her! If only they weren't rivals, maybe they would even become close pals! But, who said they weren't friends?

"_Dame!_ Ranma only like Shampoo. Not you or kitchen-wrecker!" Shampoo chirped. Damn that Chinese bimbo…

She then heard his suppressed laugh. "Well, well.. Now that you know everything, I guess we can now settle this, Shampoo, Ucchan," he declared. "Now, give it back!"

"Ranchan! Do you really love her that _much_?"

"Shampoo not allow Ranma to other girls! Ranma belong to Shampoo!"

She was growing anxious of this. How dare they include her in their spat, with her oblivious and all!

"I DO NOT LOVE AKANE! I hate- -"

And that was the last straw.

She got out of her hiding place, and leaned herself on the hinge of the door. With them being on the _Furinkan Koukou_ rooftop and all, it was going to be a tough– not to mention long– one. She then shouted at him with all her might.

"Well Ranma, just so you know, I really do HATE you!"

Silence filled the area. He stuttered a bit, with his mouth opening at first then closing, it was like he was still hesitant about something… He walked slowly towards her. She then ran away, down the stairs, away from them, away from everything.

Yes, she ran away from everything.

That was, until he reached her midway in the staircase. He pulled her towards him. "Akane, wait, I could explain… it wasn't like what you think, really! I'm sorry!"

Her reply only made things worse.

"Don't try to stop me, Ranma. I'm cancelling the engagement."

With her tear-streaked face looking out at him, she cannot help but wonder if he even melts with guilt. He then reached out a hand to her. "Akane," he said, but she still wouldn't bulge.

"Akane…"

She then ran away, this time completely.

* * *

_"Follow her, son; she must have not been far away – you can still follow her," _said his mother. His mother, Nodoka Saotome, was known to be extremely calm. But with this incident, he really questions this.

Her eyes puffy, her voice hoarse, and her expression pained; she inadvertently tucked his back, yet somehow, his feet had a mind of its own and he suddenly dashed away.

_Seriously, how much damage have you done now, you ungrateful fool?_

He swallowed the thought. He may hate to admit it, but it is undeniably true:

_Are these the results of arranged marriages?_

* * *

She grasped the grass that was now intertwined with her fingers. The breeze was starting to get into her, and she unknowingly clutched it to her sides. _Geez,_ w_hy does it have to be so cold?_

"Keh. He'd probably even be happy now that I am gone – after all, who am I to complain? I was stupid, probably the biggest fool of all. What entered into me, and why did I do those things?"

Yep, the wind had really gotten into her. She involved herself into a deep monologue, and somehow even the loudest of the sounds cannot disturb her.

"They're all ganging up on me - - it's so irritating! Why can't I have my say on this thing? _Otou-san, oneechan-tachi, ojii-san, oji-sama_ and even _oba-sama_ haven't given me a nice amount of privacy; they just continued on goofing up around in my life, making it turn 360º to sudden drastic changes," she brushed her hair away from her drenched cheeks, and continued, _"but - - -"_

She paused for a while. She wanted continue - no, she needed to continue. Yet, not even a single sound came. She was utterly speechless, as tears trickled down her rosy cheeks. A sudden pang of guilt struck her.

"- - Despite it all, is it really the right thing to do? I know, I'd hurt them so much that I could die, yet I just can't control myself," she said limply.

_However, I knew I shouldn't put the blame on them. I was just damned selfish. _

She simply sat still, and continued gazing at the stars above. As she gaped at the spectacle, a heavenly body moving at the speed of light suddenly appeared before her.

_A shooting star!_

Her mind started to wander.

_I... I wish he was here._

_

* * *

_

He ran so fast – so fast that his feet were starting to betray him – and went where his feet may lead him to. He had no idea where he was, or where he was heading to – for the only thing on his mind right now was to reach her.

Rivaling the speed of a galloping tiger, he dashed upwards. He sped up, until he saw a shooting star – the same one that she had seen – and unconsciously, he rushed up towards it. _'She must have been there, I know it,' _he thought.

True, he knew that all the occurrences that happened were caused by him – he just didn't know how. He may not be that great, but he can easily know if he is the cause – they had been housemates for years now, after all. And besides, he is the only one who often makes her so violent: she hits him, and kicks him; they fight all the time. He just made teasing a habit; but if things may get even worse, it's because of the numerous suitors chasing them. Well, he had to admit, she can make him fluster so often.

_She was so violent; a stupid, macho and untalented girl who oftentimes jumps to conclusions! _

That's what he may say, but that may be otherwise. But now, it seemed so different. _What's with her?_ As such, he tightened his grip onto something – an object that glistened in the moonlight.

He had lost her once, way back in _Jusendou_. Now, he won't let it happen again, especially for some petty reasons, not to mention because of him. He won't live through it. He can still remember the pain it caused to him, especially when he had realized that she may not be with him anymore… forever.

- - That she may be… _dead_.

And it scared him to death. Just the sight of her Chinese dress fluttering in the ground, with her body nowhere to be seen, proved to have left him into a state of utter depression. It's as if he was completely sucked by a black hole. And in that state, he was completely vulnerable. Heck, even Ryoga had done better than him!

_'I'm going ahead, Ranma. I'll be waiting for you...'_

He didn't even want to think of it. He was on the verge of tears back then, and only the news that she may even saved sent shocks of happiness in his heart. He remembered how happy he was back then… only to be taken away as he cradled her lifeless body into his arms.

And, back then was the only time did he admit to himself that he was, indeed, hopelessly in love with her. And he cannot say it. Yet, he was on the verge of doing it–he even did scream it on his head! And alas, miracles do come true.

She then smiled at him. He was overjoyed.

But still, he cannot say it.

Even after the wedding, where she had chosen to go through it for his sake–all for the _Nannichuan_–he still was a sore loser. He acted like nothing happened. Like…normal.

"Ranma…you love me, don't you?"

That part sent shivers through his spine. Yes, maybe she really heard him confess, but that wasn't going to be the day he would confess! He still wasn't ready yet…but she wanted to get married because she…

Maybe she really…returned those feelings.

Nonetheless, he still cannot say it. And, she even heard him earlier.

What a fool he was.

Garnering all the strength he can muster, he screamed her name. It echoed towards the settling mountains, waiting to be heard.

* * *

Was she hearing things? It's impossible; there's no way he could've found out her whereabouts. It's coincidental, really!

_But what if it is true?_ A part of her was happy, and the latter was found to be upset. After all, she didn't want to see the root of all her problems; she doesn't want him to see her so vulnerable; and he'll probably make her angry anyway–so, it's now or never.

"What should I do now?"

Seconds passed. The resilient silence was then broken.

"You should probably try and talk to him–TOMBOY!" a voice nonchalantly replied. She, in turn, was aghast. She turned around, only to find the unexpected.

"Oh. Hi there..." _Great, now he's here. If life wasn't unfair enough, then I wouldn't know what it'll be._

He can sense sadness in her voice. She may had been angry at him, but he knew she was depressed enough not to be hostile. "Come on, you're still mad at me? Let's go home!" he suggested.

"Well, you better listen to me, Ranma! Don't concern yourself over me anymore! We aren't fiancées! _Iinazuke mo nai wa_ - -" her sentence was cut short when he suddenly tossed something into her hands. He then sat down beside her groggily.

"There. It's yours, _keep_ it." She, in turn, raised an eyebrow.

"What is _this_?"

"It's nothing special. It's just an old treasure of mine," he replied.

_Huh? But why give me something so special? I can't accept this!_

But unbeknownst to her, it was her _oba-sama_ who had given this to him. His _ofukuro_ really was fantastic. And really timely, to boot!

"But... but why? You can't just give it like that," she told him. She can now see the change in his expression, for he now appeared to be somewhat... melancholic.

"No buts – I'll give it to you wholeheartedly. In fact, I've been meaning to give that to you for a long time now, but I - - "he suddenly paused. He was very nervous. He can feel the pressure slowly accumulating up inside him. Can he say it?

He opened his mouth, trying to utter a word. Yet, not a sound even came. _Was it really this hard to do?_

She looked at him inquisitively. _Maybe he'll say it to me now – he did not want our engagement back. After all, nobody wants to marry someone as bad as me...right?_

She wanted to hit herself for being so selfish, so violent, so uptight, and so ignorant. Before she went berserk, she just wanted to make things easier for him first – after all, she was the cause of all his troubles.

"You see - -"

_I'm sorry!_

"I.. I wanted to say… well, I've been meaning to tell you this, but all I wanna say is that..t - - "

_I knew it would happen… It may hurt us both but - -_

"T- - thanks. Thank you for everything… I really mean it," he said.

_I'm so… huh?_

With his face flushed, and his mind a sudden wreck, he looked at her intently. Bluish orbs met brown ones, and gazes were now locked. As soon as she saw those eyes – she knew he was sincere.

She then examined the item that was now clutched on her tight grip – it was composed of silver and sapphire; with the circular stone holder being the silver, and the gem inside being the sapphire – she then placed it above her heart, and asked him, "_So, what's with the gift?"_

"Eh- - ? You still want an explanation?" he retorted. He then flinched. Well, it seemed that he really was avoiding that question. However, she wasn't the type to just leave it behind. _What would happen if it's some kind of a parting gift?_

"Of course," she replied, "there's got to be something if you'd given me such a precious item."

He was about to retort back at her when he realized that he may destroy another chance again. Thus, he decided to go on with it.

He then gazed at the stars above.

"You see," he started, "I thought it was kind of nice to give it to you. Well, to be exact, it was given to me by _ofukuro_ way back then…when we were still engaged. But unconsciously, I felt attached to that sort of thing, and I knew it wasn't very many, yet somehow, maybe it was because it was given by her, and I indeed plan to give it to someone.."

She sat there silently as she waited for him to finish.

"Well, sorry about earlier. Really. And pardon me for being unable to afford such a gift. Anyway, there it is, so… there. Well, keep it."

Those upwelling tears started to appear in her eyes.

"..And whenever you see that necklace, I hope that in time, you would realize the important things you had in life, and come to treasure it, no matter how small it may be. Whenever you feel lost, or afraid, I want that necklace to serve as a reminder that there would always be a home waiting for you - - back to those people who love you..."

"To the people… who _love_ me?"

He flinched for awhile. He then replied agitatedly, "Yeah."

Teardrops fell upon his gift – it glistened against the moonlight, beaming with so much radiance and splendor. A smile crept upon her face as she realized what had just happened.

"Thank you so much. You see, no one has ever done as sweet as that for me," she told him.

His face flushed, he nodded weakly. "Y - - you're welcome."

They continued on star-gazing, until he cut it short when he stood up and recklessly held her hand, helping her to stand. Just like the old times…back in _Ryuugenzawa_.

"Ranma," she trailed, "I would like to know a few things." She tightened her grip onto his hand, not planning on letting it go for longer, and walked on to face him.

"You still haven't explained. And remember, we still aren't fiancées."

_And what hell did she mean by that? Did she really hate me? Did all of those things that just happened were a fluke? A total lie? Why?_

"And what do you mean by that? I apologized, didn't I?"

Akane frowned. "So, it's true then?"

"What's true?" he asked. "I tell you, that was just an excuse! Can't you just imagine the lengths of what I will go on through just to get that pendant away from their hands?"

She was as confused as ever. What about the pendant? And why would it be connected to the incident earlier? _He was talking nonsense now_, she thought.

"Just like what happened at _ofukuro_'s medicine box. Back when we thought that it was... well, uh.. an engagement ring," he trailed off.

She smiled at the memory. Well, it is a medicine box, alright. However, the "time" is what she treasured the most…especially when they were alone in the park, away from the lunatics of _Nerima_.

Come to think of it, wasn't it being targeted? So, does that mean Ukyo and Shampoo learned about it?

"And what about it? I remember that," she retorted. She cannot help but smile when she heard his next reply.

"Well, they heard that I planned to give it to you…"

Her heart soared. She understood him, alright. She was now contented. But, he was not. He still hasn't told her yet. Told her…of what he really felt about her.

Ranma had a strong resolve. He can do this! "_Ano…._Akane," he trailed. "I…uh..I…well, I uh.."

He was blushing completely. And, Akane cannot help but suppress a giggle. He's really cute when he's like that! However, it still doesn't help to cover the blush that tinges her face.

She then remembered a similar incident. Back at the failed wedding. And, still not getting her answer, she asked him a familiar question which made Ranma go stutter.

"Ranma…you love me, don't you?"

Ranma froze. Here it was again, the magic question. If he can only answer this, then all would be settled once and for all. All would be fine. And, they would be happy.

He didn't care if he got married tomorrow. He still cannot say it. "Well, what do you think?"

Akane frowned at his reply. "So, you hate me then?"

"NO! _Baka!_ It's not like that!!"

"Then, what the hell is it?!"

Both of them paused. Both were waiting for the other to answer. It was him who broke the silence.

"Akane. You see… I… about you.."

She looked at him intensely. He was nervous, she knew it. Well, and it wasn't helping her at all.

"I…uh.. about you.. I.."

She just looked at him while he stuttered in front of her. _Is he gonna say it?_

_"Omae no k-k-ko..koto.. ga.. su.. su.. su - -"_

She had enough. He really was hopeless. Maybe, just maybe, if she initiates it just this time, then he would finally get rid of that stupid nervousness. How come the person who had an ego the size of Tokyo is hopeless in confessing to a girl?

She walked towards him. Her hands, still intertwined with his, left his hands… only to connect at his nape. She was about to close the distance….

And surprisingly, it was Ranma who had closed the distance.

His lips touched hers. It was soft at first, being first-timers to this particular situation, but it turned out to be a whole lot hell different midway.

Burning with passion, they let their inner fears and insecurities escape. Both returned the kiss. Lips slapped against each other. He nibbled at her lower lip. She, in turn, entered her tongue into his, and then he returned it, as they kissed deeper and deeper. Both were totally addicted to the feeling that they still didn't stop.

And their tightening grip onto each other only made it worse.

Forcefully… they wolfed down each other. Desires were unleashed. Their suppressed feelings were let loose. There was…passion. Heck, they were even reluctant to pull away, but if not only for the lack of air, they would still continue!

He looked at her intently. She still was cute, even if she looked battered like that. Her hair was disheveled, her lips still swollen from too much kissing, and her cheeks flushed red. And surprisingly, he was secretly proud of it. He prided himself for being the first one to reach that base. And for their first time, it was rather… well, wild. At least, as compared to what Hiroshi and Daisuke has been telling him of.

And then, he felt the need to tell her. No more stutter. No more fears. No more nervousness.

"So, you love me _too_?"

He smiled at her use of "too." He can do this.

"Not just 'too.' I.. Akane, I think I'm in love with you… Well, there.. I said it, ahaha.."

There. He said it at last! But he wasn't the mushy type, and he won't stand any longer. So, he needed distractions. Her telling him that she loves him too would just make him faint.

"Let's go home now," he insisted. She nodded hastily and followed him.

_Back there… back at my home. But, I already found it._

As the moonlight glistened against the settling breeze, the two walked the lengths of the road to go back. May it be fate or just purely coincidental, it is clear that _his _and_ her _circumstances made it possible to fix things, and even make it better.

* * *

There it was. I added, like, 2,000+ words on it for it to be Ranma-like. And I totally loved it, too! And oh, this is my first attempt to not use a main character's name on the narration! I just used "she" or "he". No "Ranma said wearily," nor "Akane nodded reluctantly." It's just PRONOUNS.

Truth be told, it is my first fanfic! Oh well. :D Please, don't be too harsh!


End file.
